TraceysTrek

Best bits: views of Bamburgh castle and Holy Island, running through deep puddles!

Worst bits: very heavy rain

Distance: 16 miles

After breakfast, I said goodbye to Jane and then Heather, Jen and I set off for Seahouses. The weather forecast was a little dismal forecasting rain all afternoon but for now the skies were cloudy but the sun was trying to get out through a small hole in them with the smallest hint of blue sky.

As I turned the corner towards the beach at Seahouses I was excited to see Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, come into view.

The sea was reasonably calm with just a few waves lapping against the shore on the sandy beach. The tide was in, but there was enough sand to walk on. There’s something just very calming about walking along a beach. The tide was going out and so I was able to continue on the beach all morning.

These concrete blocks are apparently anti tank blocks, remnants of WW2.

Lindisfarne kept teasing me going in and out of view as I walked along the edge of the coast. Bamburgh Castle was nowhere to be seen as it was on the other side of the sand dunes.

Quite bizarrely, there was a rock pool that had little tadpoles in. I didn’t realise that they could survive in saltwater.

As I was walking along the beach with a view of Holy Island ahead of me, I imagined this must have been what it was like to be a pilgrim and having your first view of Holy Island, your destination and slowly walking towards it.

Bamburgh castle is absolutely magnificent standing on a mound high above everything else and dominates the horizon.

When I stopped for a cuppa in a café in Bamburgh, we met some absolutely lovely and generous people including Topsy and her friends and Mark.

Leaving Bamburgh gave rise to spectacular views behind me. The dark foreboding clouds added to the drama.

This white stag is painted on rocks at Stag point. Local legend has it that it was because a white stag jumped into the sea to escape hunters after being chased. It is repainted at the same time as the lighthouse.

Then it was onto a golf course with a large sign saying beware golf balls. Today was interesting because just as I was approaching a golfer who was stuck in the rough, he hit the ball and sliced it and it went completely off direction and hit the inside of his golf cart breaking the windscreen! It also very narrowly missed the head of his friend who was standing beside it. Of course his fellow golfers were laughing at him and one had a very narrow escape from a head injury.

Then it started to pour down and I put on my waterproof jacket but I quickly became very wet.

There were two choices of paths today. The new King Charles III coast path which is only possible to cross for two months of the year, June and July, or the longer inland route. As it had been raining hard yesterday and overnight I elected to take the inland route. When I saw the estuary up close later on it confirmed I had made the right choice. I also met some people who said it was hard going on the sand and mud!

However, the inland route had its own challenges. I entered a field that had a sign on the gate saying ‘Beware cows with calves’. Well the cows and calves were at the opposite side of the field from me but the cows spotted me and two of them started running towards me. I looked for an escape route but there wasn’t one! Fortunately they stopped a short distance from me and continued to monitor my actions. Phew I got to the gate at the opposite end of the field unscathed.

It was a short walk to the next field. This one had a sign BEWARE BULL IN FIELD’. The farmer obviously didn’t want anyone in the field and had chained the gate shut. So I had to climb over the gate. The field was huge and there didn’t appear to be anything in it. However once I got over the hump of the hill there was a herd of large cows. OK the first thing I did was to remove my hi viz jacket. Then I looked for possible escape routes. That would mean jumping a barbed wire fence and a stone wall with brambles at either side of it! Oh well I continued onwards. Fortunately for me the cows were more interested in munching grass. I did have to pass some of them quite closely as they were spread out across the path and by the gate. Job done. Jacket back on.

I crossed a couple more fields with sheep and through lots of long grass, as if I wasn’t wet enough!

Now I arrived at the railway tracks. The sign said I must phone the signalman to get permission to cross as this is the mainline track and trains cross in excess of 100mph.

As you can see I was very wet and disheveled as I picked up the phone to call the signalman. He wanted to know where I was – Belford Burn, how many people – one, and how long would it take to cross – 30 seconds. Permission granted. It wasn’t long after I crossed that a train came whizzing past.

Another couple of fields and walking around some industrial tanks I was then faced with crossing the busy A1. Poor visibility due to the rain and lots of surface water didn’t help. Fortunately for me it was single carriageway at this point. It took a good ten minutes of waiting patiently before I could cross.

Finally, I arrived like a drowned rat at the cafe in Belford where Heather and Jen were waiting for me. I got a few strange looks as I shook my jacket and Heather handed me a towel. The cafe had a very diverse clientele. I had beans on toast for my lunch before stepping outside into the rain once more.

Then the heavens opened and there was biblical rainfall.

I was glad that I had decided to use No 1 cycle route this afternoon which was on country roads. However the route was uphill all the way apart from last half mile. The roads became like rivers with torrents running down them and huge deep puddles where the road levelled out. No photos because my phone got wet and stopped working for a bit!

I thought I may as well try running so that I could get to my end point faster. I was delighted that I managed about 5k before I arrived in Fenwick running through ankle deep floods.

Heather and Jen were waiting in the car. Apparently the roads beyond there to the causeway were completely flooded so I decided to call it for today. I was soaked through to my knickers! and my shoes were full of water.

Jane had messaged Heather earlier to offer me another bath if required. That was a great shout. We arrived back at the cottage and I peeled off my wet clothes and shoes which were really quite squishy. I took up a cup of tea and had a leisurely hot bath.

After more tea and snacks Heather and I said goodbye once more to Jane and Jen and returned to Cullercoats for food and some relaxation with trash TV! Then off to bed as I was too tired to finish this blog!